Kilenya Series Books One, Two, and Three (72 page)

Jacob couldn’t believe they were out on another trek. He, Akeno, and Aloren—the only difference this time was the presence of Ebony.

It only took a couple of seconds to Key to Aldo’s ruined cabin. It looked a bit silly, having a fully intact door when the walls were broken down. At least Kenji had tried to make the door look old, so no one would suspect the cabin was still being used.

Ebony and Aloren chattered a great deal about parties and clothes as the group left the cabin. It didn’t bother Jacob—he was still so relieved to have Aloren out of Maivoryl City, safe and sound, that even this kind of conversation was refreshing.

Right then, the women were discussing clothing fashion in Macaria versus Taga. Jacob hadn’t even been aware there
was
a fashion in the village.

Akeno playfully nudged Jacob. “Let’s hope this trip through the infected forest won’t be as . . .
fun
as the last.”

Jacob stared at Akeno, then laughed. Makalos so seldom used sarcasm in their speech that it always caught him off guard when they did. “Yeah, I’d rather not deal with you
and
the two of them.” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder toward Aloren and Ebony.

Akeno chuckled. “The Fat Lady said the Malono potion should resolve any issues we’d have.”

“I hope she’s right.”

The trail led them to the outskirts of the woods. Jacob held his breath, watching the others as they entered the forest.

Aloren gasped. “Weird! There’s no color here!” She turned to Jacob. “I don’t remember you saying anything about that.”

Jacob blew his bangs off his forehead. “I got over it when I saw how everything affected Akeno. He was so hard to deal with!”

Akeno laughed. “But I don’t feel anything this time.”

“Thank goodness.” Jacob looked at Ebony. “Which way to August Township?”

“Just follow the trail,” Ebony said. “When we get to the intersection, we’ll go straight.”

“How close will it lead us to the female Lorkon’s manor?”

“Not very. You’ll see—we should be okay.”

“Yeah—just so long as the snakes don’t come, right?”

Ebony nodded. “Right.”

Jacob couldn’t help the shudder that hit him when he saw the trees shift slightly away from the intruders. He knew it would happen, but it still unnerved him.

The group rounded a corner and came to the intersection. A weathered sign, partially covered with vines, pointed straight ahead for August Township. Jacob hadn’t noticed it last time he was in that forest, and probably because he’d been so distracted by the swarm of bugs chasing him.

He couldn’t help the excitement that crossed over him, mingled with nervousness. He could very well meet his first Shiengol that night! These were creatures he’d heard a ton about—they had to be amazing!

“Let’s put a door here,” Ebony said, pulling one out of her knapsack. Jacob noticed that the Makalos had put legs on the back of it—probably to support it without a wall. She handed it to Akeno.

Akeno held his arm out straight, squinted, and dropped the door. It appeared about twenty feet away, and Jacob and Aloren rushed forward to drag it into the undergrowth. The trees freaked out, but the two of them were quick at getting it into place, so no real harm was done.

Jacob pulled out his sword and threatened the trees with it. “You’re going to feel very silly when you realize you’re fighting for the wrong side.”

The others chuckled, and Aloren marked the location and number of the door on her map.

They continued on. Ebony was right—the trail didn’t lead them anywhere near the manor, and Jacob was relieved that they didn’t see any snakes.

Two hours later, they stopped for a break at the end of the forest, sitting on top of a big hill which overlooked a small valley. A thin forest blanketed a large part of it, and on the other side, the walls of what must have been August Fortress rose between the trees.

Jacob couldn’t stop gawking at the fortress. It was magnificent—tall, without adornments, and very demanding. Imposing, actually, compared to the land. If he’d been involved in its design, he would have chosen something that graced the countryside, rather than dominated it.

“So, that’s August Fortress?” He looked at Ebony for confirmation.

“Sure is.”

How were they going to break in? Winding walls of brick and stone merged with rock outcroppings all over the other end of the valley. It looked like a maze, and Jacob couldn’t tell if the outcroppings were put there by the Shiengols or by nature. Ebony answered his unasked question.

“Most of the walls are natural. A few hundred years ago, that mountain behind the fortress,” she pointed to a large, craggy hill with a dip in the top, “was a volcano. The top of the mountain burst off when the volcano erupted, and rocks landed everywhere. The Shiengols incorporated them into their defense.” She folded her arms. “‘Course, they didn’t really need defense. Nothing could beat a Shiengol.”

Jacob had to say it. “Until the Lorkon.”

No one responded.

He sighed. “Where should we begin?”

“We’ll put another door here,” Ebony said, handing one to Akeno.

After it was set into the forest, out of sight, Ebony started down the hill, followed by the others.

The group waded through nearly waist-high grass. Jacob held his hands out, feeling the tops of the grass hit his palms as he passed. He jumped when something large at his feet moved, but relaxed when he saw bright blue petals. It was a flower Akeno had introduced him to when they’d gone to get the Key of Kilenya. According to Akeno, the petals—which the Makalos used to season foods—continued to wiggle in your mouth when you ate them. So disgusting.

Akeno laughed. “It’s just a reca flower.”

“What did you call it?”

“Reca. That’s their name.”

“This one is huge.” Jacob knelt beside it, examining the vivid petals. It was shaped somewhat like a pansy from Earth.

Ebony got down by him. “I’ve never seen a reca get this big. And yes—they’re really quite tasty.” She motioned for Jacob to go ahead and try one.

He hesitated, then decided it probably wouldn’t kill him. He reached for the plant and tore off a corner of one of the petals—smaller than bite-size. He let it fall into his palm and watched it wiggle. “That’s so gross.”

“Creepy, as Matt would say,” Aloren said, watching over Jacob’s shoulder.

Jacob laughed. “Yes, creepy.” He inspected the petal, then popped it in his mouth, chewing. Nothing happened. “I can’t taste it.”

“Are you positive?” Ebony bent to examine the plant. “That’s interesting.”

“Maybe I should try a bigger piece?”

She didn’t answer his question. “It’s possible this plant is too old—maybe the flavor has left.”

Aloren shook her head. “They don’t lose flavor as they get older.”

“I didn’t think so.” Ebony crossed her arms, contemplating the plant. “Have they been changed somehow?”

Suddenly a sensation of vertigo hit Jacob so strongly it made him fall, knocking the wind out of him, the world spinning.

“I think I’m going to be sick.” The cold sweat that hit him confirmed this. He rolled away from the others just before his stomach emptied itself. He was vaguely aware of Ebony patting him on the back and Akeno and Aloren standing together, watching. Awkward.

He coughed a few times, clearing his throat. Akeno gave him water, and he rinsed his mouth and sat up. The dizziness slowly dissipated. “Wow. Sorry ‘bout that.”

Ebony was inspecting the reca flower. “Why would it make you become ill? And why couldn’t you taste it?”

“Maybe it’s not really a reca,” Akeno suggested.

Aloren shook her head again. “It is. I see them this big near Macaria all the time. And they’ve never made me sick before.”

Jacob took a few deep breaths, waiting for his heart to slow and his stomach to calm down. After a moment, he realized with surprise that he felt completely fine.

“Weird.” He slowly got to his feet. “I feel great now.” As if nothing had happened. He took a few more swallows of water, then held his hand out to Akeno. “And I’m starving. Can I have some jerky?”

Akeno gazed at Jacob like he was crazy, then handed over the knapsack. Jacob rummaged through it, insisting he was fine and they needed to keep going. He found the bag with beef in it and popped a good-sized chunk in his mouth, then knit his eyebrows.

“I can’t taste this, either.”

Aloren knit her eyebrows. “Is something wrong with you?”

Jacob sighed with exaggeration. “No, of course not. Here, you try.” He handed the bag to Aloren.

She fished out a piece and ate it. “It doesn’t have any flavor.”

Ebony glowered. “It does
too
have flavor—I made it.” She snatched the knapsack from Aloren and sniffed. “Smells fine.” She sampled a chunk, then frowned. “Odd.”

She lowered the bag, her expression changing from irritation to frustration, then shock. “The Lorkon. I wonder if they’re behind this. They must be!”

“But how?” Akeno asked.

“It’s the area. Maybe it’s one of the traps? If so . . .” She gasped. “Those reca plants are probably poisoned!” She turned to Jacob, grabbing his arm. “What was your first instinct when you couldn’t taste the petal?”

“To eat a bigger piece.”

She nodded. “What you
did
have was very small, and you got sick—imagine what would’ve happened with a much larger section.”

“It would’ve killed him, probably,” Aloren said.

“That is so brilliant,” Akeno said. Ebony scowled at him, and he ducked his head. “Sorry.”

Jacob motioned to Aloren. “Maybe we should put it in the journal.”

She nodded, pulling the book out of her bag, then hesitated. “How do we know where the trap starts?”

“Just mark the general area,” Ebony said.

Jacob looked over the meadow around them. “Include a note not to eat anything from the land here. We need to assume that everything edible is poisoned.”

Ebony tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear as she gazed at Jacob. “If this really is a Lorkon trap . . .” She paused. “Jacob, you aren’t immune to it. And you probably won’t be safe from the rest around the fortress either.”

Jacob raised his eyebrows. He hadn’t thought of that. He’d relied heavily on his resistance to Lorkon traps in the past, but if Ebony was right, he’d struggle just as much as the others in their group.

After a few more minutes of walking, they came across many, many more recas. Jacob shook his head, wondering how many people had died here, eating these things. He couldn’t help but wonder how the Lorkon had poisoned them. Was it genetic modification? Or could it have been like the scented air and more of a blanket potion that covered the area?

Soon, the meadow of flowing grasses ended and the group entered the thin forest, placing doors every hundred feet around the edge of the forest—making sure there were plenty of ways to escape. Jacob kept his eyes open for potential problems—Lorkon, Molgs, Dusts, and other dangerous creatures—occasionally looking at the fortress through breaks in the trees to judge how far they’d come in relation to it.

As he stared at it, he noticed something odd and paused, the rest stopping as well.

“Can you see the glow around the fortress?”

Ebony squinted, shading her eyes. “No.” The color swirling in the air around her changed to a light yellow-green—interest. “Describe it.”

Jacob frowned in concentration. “It’s not really a glow. There are a ton of different colors, swirling together. Very bright colors. It’s like . . . emotions! I can see emotions coming through the walls! I’ve never had that happen before.” How cool! He beamed, meeting eyes with Ebony.

“The Shiengols!” Ebony said. “It has to be them.”

Jacob nodded. “Awesome! I can’t believe I can see them this far away!” The group was at least two miles from the fortress.

Ebony snorted. “Doesn’t surprise me. They’re rather . . . exuberant in the way they feel about things.” She looked at the fortress. “What are the colors you see?”

“Red—angry.”

“Makes sense.”

“Green—excited. That’s odd. Why would they be excited? They’ve been in the same place for a long time—I hardly think that’s worth getting excited about.”

Ebony shrugged and Akeno and Aloren exchanged glances, looking as intrigued as Jacob felt.

“Also, they’re sad. And disgusted. There’s some fear, too—that’s the bright yellow.” He rubbed his chin as he tried to make out the rest of the colors. “There are some very deep colors, too. Harder to make out. Depressed, bitter, and a little thrilled.”

Aloren chuckled. “You’re like a palm reader.” She grabbed his arm, getting his full attention. “What emotions am I feeling right now?”

Jacob flushed at her touch, but recognized she wasn’t flirting with him. He wished she were. “You’re a little nervous and slightly bored.”

“No, I’m not!” She swatted at him and he jumped away, laughing.

“All right,” Ebony said. “Let’s keep going. I think we’ve set up enough doors around the perimeter. We’ll see if we can get in closer.”

After a few minutes of walking, Jacob started feeling restless. Jumpy, even. It took him a moment to figure out why. It was like they were being watched, and not just by one person or creature, but by hundreds. He couldn’t help the shudder that came over him.

A few times, he swore he saw eyes on either side of them, marking their progress, but when he looked, all he saw were thorny bushes.

Even the bushes were somewhat different. Not their height, which was knee to thigh high, but their branches, circling in on themselves, surrounding a center mass. Nearly perfect spheres. And the strangest thing—all of them had a slight green glow. Was it because of the leaves? Jacob didn’t think so. It reminded him too much of the emotions he saw coming from people and intelligent creatures. But undergrowth doesn’t have emotions, right?

“I think I’ve seen this kind of bush before,” Aloren said.

Ebony nodded. “Yes, I’ve been thinking the same.”

Jacob paused, peering at one. He decided to voice what he’d discovered. “They’re glowing.” The others looked at him. “They are. A green color—excited, or happy.”

“Emotions?”